Darkened
by GoneDrake
Summary: She likes to spend her time alone, by herself, with no one else. But one night, all of that will change. Can one cocky, determined, and adventurous girl face the consequences of knowing the pack's secret? Soon it will turn into a fight for her life.


**I'm still not done the first chapter of Darkened, but if you like it, please review! Thanks!**

--

I walked through The Quileute Reserve, nothing on my mind. My feet trudged along the dirt road, hands stuffed in my jean pockets, head down, hair blowing in the cool spring's wind.

I could smell the soft scent of lilies and pine, mixed in with the familiar odor of wood and morning dew. It wasn't particularly warm out, quite chilly, actually.

I shivered, burying my chin deeper into my fleece hoody, setting my slow pace to a quicker speed. It was afternoon, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of dark, stormy clouds, rain on its way. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a warning sign, telling me to get inside as soon as possible, before I was soaked.

Stepping across pebbles, rocks scattered all over the beach, I closed my eyes, knowing that I didn't need my sight to guild me. I knew this path so well that I could probably get home in a snowstorm. Feeling the sand in my sneakers, the soft terrain turning hard, my feet now hitting concrete.

A few minutes later, I opened my eyes, standing outside of my front doorstep, light pouring out of the kitchen window. Knocking on the door, I brushed my hair out of my face, realizing that it was probably a knotted mess. I wasn't the type of girl who really cared about glamor, but I had to admit, uncleanliness wasn't my preference.

"Just in time for dinner." My mom stood in the front corridor, smiling. She peeked around me, checking the weather. "It hasn't started raining yet? That's a surprise. The forecast has been calling for thunderstorms all morning."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be long until lightning starts filling the sky." I frowned, stepping past her into the house, kicking my sneakers off. "It rains almost every single day."

The table was already set, the sweet smell of chicken and mashed potatoes filling the kitchen. Waving at my dad, I sat down, leaning against the back of the wooden chair. I eyed the food hungrily, waiting for my mom to sit down so we could start eating.

"So," My dad took a sip of his water, licking his lips. "How was your day?"

"Okay." I grinned as my mom entered the kitchen, and picked up my fork in one, smooth movement. I gathered a scoop of the mashed potatoes and popped them into my mouth, chewing.

"Oh, spare us the details!" My dad rolled his eyes, sarcastic. He chuckled, taking a bite out of the chicken. "Come on, you were out all day. You had to be doing something interesting."

I shook my head, rolling a few peas around with my cutlery. "No, really. I didn't do much. Took a walk down to the general store, skipped some rocks, not very exciting."

My mom pursed her lips, dissaproving. "You really ought to think about getting together with some friends, you know, to brighten up your day. You know I don't approve of you wandering around town all day."

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, knowing that that would never happen. There weren't many teenagers around La Push, the only ones secretive, seeming so caught up their own personal little group that they didn't have time for anything else. I had never bothered to try and get to know them, not quite the social type, either. I preferred to do things on my own.

We finished dinner in silence, the only sound being the soft rustle of bushes outside, wind causing the leaves to move around. When I was done I got up, clearing off my plate into the sink and washing my plate, putting it in the rack to dry. My parents followed suit, doing the same.

I glanced out of the window, the sun setting into the horizon, the sky turning a pinkish color. I had been looking forward to watching the sunset tonight, having found an awesome cliff during the day, giving me a great view of the ocean.

I grabbed my rainjacket and put on my sneakers, heading out the front door for the second time today.

"Hey, where do you think you're going, young lady?" I sighed as my mom's annoyed tone crashed down on my plans.

"Out." I told her, jerking my thumb towards the driveway in an aggravated motion. "You know, to the beach."

My mom's expression grew firm, and I was aware that she had no intentions of letting me spend the night alone, wandering the beach. "No, you're not. Why don't you call up a few friends, spend some time inside?"

I laughed. "What friends do you want me to call up? Yours?" No matter how many times that I told her I didn't hang out with anyone other then myself, she didn't seem to believe me, thinking that I was just neglecting them.

"I'm sure you know some people at school." She frowned, checking her watch. "I was talking to Billy, you know, the man who lives down the street with his son, Jacob?" I gave a slight nod, unsure of where this was heading. "Well, they're all getting together for a big bonfire tonight, down in the forest? Why don't you tag along?"

Tag along. Those words seemed to stick in my mind. If I "Tagged along", there really was no way that my parents could force me to stay inside. I'd go to the bonfire, say hi to Billy, then leave, hopefully catching the sunset before if disappeared completely. It's not like I'd get caught. And even if I did, I probably wouldn't even get in that much trouble.

"Are they going to have marshmallows?" I grinned crookedly, raising my eyebrows in fake enthusiasm.

"I'm sure they will!" My mom smiled, her mood seeming to lighten up immensely. "And who knows? You might even start joining those boys in their weekly cliff diving trips."

"Mom," I groaned, her imagination getting the better of her. "Even if they were to invite me, there's no way that I would go. I like to cliff dive... By myself."

"Apparently." My mom grimaced. "Anyways, go on out. And have fun!"

"Uh huh." I turned my back to her and walked out of the front door, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. Shuffling down the porch, I held out my hand, feeling the light specks of rain drop down from the sky, creating wet spots on my palm.

It was a five minutes walk to Billy's, just down the street from my house. He liked talking to my mom, discussing topics that parents seemed to know all about. But other then that, he wasn't much more then a neighbor, someone who was aware of every event happening at La Push, every problem in the community, every bit of news that ever arose around town. I could never understand how he did it, getting the news on everything, everyday.

A few moments later I was at The Black's, pulling my hood over my head, the rainfall growing heavier. Some could say that I might have looked like a hoodlum, waiting on someone's front steps, posture slouched, black hooded sweater.

Not that I cared, though. People had a right to their opinions, and I had a right to mine. There was no point in trying to change my appearence just to please others.

The front door opened, revealing the face of a very surprised Jacob Black, dressed in nothing but a pair of blue jeans. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, wondering if I had come at a bad time.

"Yes?" Jacob slouched against the doorframe, his head almost touching the archway. He sure had grown since the last time that I had seen him. Five, six inches, maybe.

"Hey," It might have bothered some people to invite themselves to a gathering like this, but I was not one of thoses people. I rarely got embarassed, and when I did, it wasn't for long. "I heard that you guys were having a bonfire. Mind if I join?"

"Uh..." Jacob froze, his expression nervous. His drummed his fingers against the wood, rocking back and forth. "I guess you could come... with us."

Jeez, was it any more obvious that he didn't want me there?

I rolled my eyes, tired of his wary looks. "Don't worry, I won't be there for long. My mom wanted me to tag along, get to know you guys. But trust me, I don't want to be there any more then you want me there. I'll be gone before you know it."

Jacob opened his mouth, looking taken aback. "No, no, it's nothing like that. I don't not want you there."

"You sure about that?" I eyed his fingers skeptically, still tapping nervously against the door. He saw where my gaze was locked and stopped, sheepish.

"Yeah." Jacob nodded slowly, probably trying to convince himself of what he was saying. No matter what he said, I knew that he didn't want me tagging along, bugging him and his friends. The loner, trying to hang out with his little, private club.

I sighed, wondering why I was even here. Why didn't I just skip the bonfire and head straight out to the cliffs? Did I really care that much about my parent's lectures? I had already ruined Jacob's night, and was extremely close to ruining my own. Besides, the sun was setting quicker then I had thought, and that meant that the sunset wouldn't last that much longer.

"You know what?" I turned around, starting to head down his driveway. "It's okay. I'll see you later."

I felt his eyes on me, watching my steps. Then I heard his voice, and I stopped, annoyed.

"Wait," Jacob called, guiltiness in his tone. "I didn't mean to offend you. Please, stay. Come to the bonfire. It will be lots of fun."

I gritted my teeth together, aggitated. Why couldn't he have just let me go like I had wanted? Then I could have done what I had been planning to do all along, and when my parents would ask what I had done, I would say that The Black's had rejected my proposition and told me not to come.

But no, guilt had gotten the better of him.

"Okay, look." I faced Jacob, my expression hard, tough. "Not to be rude or anything, but I don't really want to come. I know you probably have the impression that I'm trying to make some new friends, my pick landing on you, and now your going to be stuck with me, the loner girl. Like an annoying sibling. But I'm only here because that's the only way that I'm going to be able to do what I want to do."

"Um, okay..." Jacob pursed his lips together, confused. "So, you're going to come, but you don't want to?"

"Now you get it." I nodded, smiling. I leaned against the railing, hair swishing in the air. "So, you got any marshmallows?"


End file.
